LIRR train in minor derailment at Atlantic Terminal was going over twice the speed limit: NTSB

NEW YORK — The LIRR train that crashed into the end of the track at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn Wednesday was going more than 10 mph, which is over twice the speed limit for that portion of track, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said.

The spokesman said at a news conference Thursday that investigators have been examining the scene and the train to determine what caused the minor derailment in which more than 100 people sustained minor injuries.

The train engineer was interviewed Thursday and told federal investigators he "is unable to recall" striking the bumping block at the end of the track, but does remember pulling into the station and controlling the speed of the train, the spokesman said. The speed limit for that area is 5 mph.

The engineer told investigators he has been working the night shift for 10 to 12 years, the spokesman said. He said he has been working in his current morning shift for about a year and had been off for three days before operating the train that derailed

The train will be removed from Atlantic Terminal so investigators can test the functions, from the brakes and the power.

The train's event recorders have been recovered but the recorder for the lead car that was involved in the minor derailment was "compromised horribly."

Investigators have more inspections to do and interviews to conduct, including employees who witnessed the crash and passengers who were injured.